In our previous post we presented a hypothetical Los Angeles homeowner with no financial brakes. Someone who decides to have a deck designed and built for his home, with money no object. This, to be sure, is a pretty rare client in real life. But such people do...

When home improvement projects are on the table, the conversation usually gets around to economics. The dollar pros and cons of various types of upgrades, for instance. Return On Investment (ROI) at resale time. Up-front versus long-term maintenance costs. All very...

Sometimes adding a deck to the second story of a home is just the right thing to do. There are, to be sure, a few compelling reasons for this step. For example, houses built on steep slopes. Second story decks, in fact , are sometimes the only possible decks....

There are two ways a homeowner ends up with a deck that’s not spacious enough. One is by purchasing a home with an existing deck. The buyer may even know up front the deck’s too small, but likes the house. Then, there are the homeowners who add decks to...